Legends of Superman #7

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of Superman #7
Barrage

Written and Edited by Daniel Dyer

John Henry packs his things in his one room apartment. Most men of his former position would have lived in a glorious penthouse apartment overlooking Metropolis. Not John Henry. No, he made sure his family were taken care of before himself. Every extra cent he had was sent to Gramma Bess to take care of the rest of the Irons’ family. John doesn’t even have any money saved up, hence his move. He can’t afford to pay his rent. He’s not sure where he’ll go or what he’ll do. He’s thought about moving back to the family but he quickly dismissed the notion, too ashamed to return. He feels he doesn’t deserve the hospitality his family would give him. He thinks he doesn’t deserve their love.

“Huh?” John questions as he hears a knock at his door.

“Uncle Hunk!” John is almost tackled by his niece, Natasha Irons, when he opens the door.

“Nat?”

“Hey, John boy,” Blondell, Natasha’s mom and John’s sister-in-law, says as she enters.

“What...? What are you two doing here?” John questions.

“We’ve come to bring ya home.”

“Then you’ve wasted your time, Blondell,” John states simply, going back to putting his clothes in his duffel bag.

“Stubborn as ever, Johnny. Where do you plan to go then?”

“I don’t know.” John looks down at Natasha. “Your brother didn’t come?”

“Jemahl’s been...”

“Been falling in with the wrong crowd, John,” Blondell finishes. “We suspect he’s been running with a gang.”

Probably following my example. “I’m not one to be playing role model for the kid.”

“John... getting involved with Luthor wasn’t the best thing to do... but you....”

“I sold my soul, Blondell.” John grabs his duffel bag and heads out the door.

Natasha and her mom look at each other and follow him.

“John, there’s always hope for redemption. Quitting Lexcorp is a start towards....”

John, turning back toward his sister-in-law. “You don’t get it, Blondell! It’s my fault! I... I....”

“What is it?” Blondell asks, seeing tears well up in John’s eyes.

“I’ve doomed Superman!”

“John....”

“Uncle....”

Just then, before John has a chance to continue, a nearby parked car explodes.

“But you’ll go first, ‘John boy’”

John looks up, seeing the armored Barrage standing on a neighboring rooftop.

“That was a warning shot, to get the kid and the woman away.” Barrage leaps down to the street. “I’m only contracted for you.”

“Run!” John screams. “I’ll distract him!”

“But... Uncle John.”

“Nat, GO!”

And Natasha follows her mom, running, reluctantly leaving John Henry Irons to face his fate.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Out front of Lexcorp tower, as the man himself, Lex Luthor holds a press conference with some urgent news. In the crowd of reporters, stands Clark and Lois.

“Any word on what this is all about, Smallville?”

“Not a clue.”

“Really? I would assume you’d have the inside scoop on anything in Metropolis. After all, you are from a farm,” Lois states sarcastically.

“Still upset about my interview with Superman, I see.”

“Hmph.”

Lex Luthor comes out, approaching the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press,” Luthor begins. “An age old question has recently been answered. Are we alone in the universe? The answer is ‘no’. We now have a strange visitor from another planet living amongst us. Many of you think of him as a hero. A noble savior for the human race. I’ve brought you here to announce that you are wrong. He has not come here to save us, but rather to doom us.”

Not good, Clark thinks to himself.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Any last words, Irons?” asks Barrage, his arm cannon aimed square at John.

“Why’d Luthor send you?”

“You know too much, Irons. He thinks you might decide to go to the police, or worse, take matters into your own hands.”

“Luthor can’t allow that, can he?” John asks, already knowing the answer.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Natasha and Blondell crouch in an alley, watching as John confronts his assassin.

“Mom, we gotta help.”

“Nat, stay here. Stay out of sight. I’m going to a pay phone. To call the cops.” Blondell gets up and is about to leave, then turns back around. “And, Nat... don’t do anything stupid?”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Elsewhere, in a secret facility, as a man is strapped to a table, a laser trained on him. “This is safe, right, Doc?”

“Rudy, Rudy. Everything’ll be fine,” Dr. Freeman assures Rudy Jones. “Soon, you’ll have the power to be a key player in our little squad.”

“Dr. Freeman,” a voice comes over the intercom. “We’ve returned.”

“Good, Harkins.” Torval Freeman opens a cabinet and takes out a beaker with some kind of chemicals in it. “Come in.”

In walks the blue and white clad Captain Boomerang. “Let’s get on with it, mate.”

Handing Digger the beaker, Torval says, “This is not a perfect compound. This compound was developed by a Professor Thawne, who believed it to be a failure. It wasn’t quite the failure he thought it was... just not the success he wanted.”

“Uh... Doc,” Rudy says as he notices his skin changing to a dark purple.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Mr. Luthor, Superman has shown the public time and again that he is here to protect us. What makes you think our Man of Steel is here to harm?” a young blonde reporter asks.

“Miss Grant, one of my employees received a message from another survivor from his planet. One which stated that our ‘Man of Steel’ was indeed responsible for his planet’s destruction.”

Another survivor? “Mr. Luthor, may we speak with this employee?” inquires Clark.

“Unfortunately, no. He has quit within the past couple of days.”

“That wouldn’t happen to be John Henry Irons, would it, Mr. Luthor?”

Luthor looks down on Clark, nearly sneering. “Yes. Mr. Irons wished to return to his family. Unfortunately, that meant leaving Lexcorp.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Shoot me already.” Gotta time this just right.

“Gettin’ pushy, aren’t we, Irons. Well, might as well oblige this one.”

Suddenly Nat jumps on Barrage from behind. “Go, Uncle Hunk!”

Dumb kid. John sees Barrage toss Nat off him. “Natasha!”

Barrage trains his arm cannon on Natasha. “I gave ya a chance earlier, kid. No more,” and Barrage begins charging up the cannon.

“You’re right, no more.” John charges Barrage, knocking him back slightly, the blast from the cannon missing Nat. “Dumb kid,” he says as he grabs Natasha’s hand, running with her. “What were you thinking.”

“I was thinking I didn’t want you to die.”

“So now we’re both going to die?” John turns a corner, barely avoiding a blast from Barrage. “Where’d your mom get to?”

“Calling the cops.”

As the two turn a corner again, then run into Barrage.

“Cops? Now, why ya go and do that?”

As Barrage focuses on John, Natasha sneaks off.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"What could we even do to stop this tyrant?” asks a reporter.

Luthor grins as he hears the word “tyrant” in reference to Superman. He has convinced them that their savior is indeed here to conquer, or destroy. Yes, the alien will be brought down. “Before Mr. Irons left, he developed a weapon based on one of the “Metropolis’s Marvel’s” weaknesses. The weakness was told to us by the other being from his planet.”

“Clark, do you believe this load of...?” Lois started asking, but noticing Clark was already working his way to the back of the crowd. Guess he can’t stomach Luthor’s propaganda. Lois’s attention is quickly brought back to Luthor as she hears a gasp from the crowd. She looks higher, seeing the Man of Steel descending.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"No hard feelings, Irons,” states Barrage as his arm cannon begins charging up.

“Get back, Uncle Hunk!” yells Natasha as she runs and dives for Barrage. As the kid slides under Barrage’s arm cannon, she shoves a huge metal pipe in the barrel of the cannon, causing the cannon to explode, blasting Barrage back, ruining the cannon.

“Natasha?” John says as he sees his niece laying in the street, not moving. “No...” He wants to approach, but as he’s about to, he sees Blondell, looking on in shock, shaking her head. Seeing the shocked and bewildered look on his sister-in-law, John Henry Irons just turns and runs.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Superman stands at the podium, looking out on the reporters gathered here today. “Citizens of Metropolis,” Superman begins. “It appears that Mr. Luthor is trying to protect the world. But he is mistaken by his claims of my true nature. My world was destroyed while I was still an infant. I don’t even know the name of my home planet. I have shown nothing but respect for this world’s people... because I, in fact, see myself as a native of this world. I was raised here. This is all I know. In regards to this other survivor, I was unaware there were more of my kind, but it is not an impossibility. But, no matter what Mr. Luthor claims, I’m here to help, and will be here to help whenever needed.” As the crowd unanimous begins to clap, Superman looks over at an angry Luthor and then flies away.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

That night, as Blondell Irons talks to the doctors at Metropolis Memorial Hospital. “Sorry, Mrs. Irons, your daughter has slipped into a comma. We’ve done all we can. Now it’s only a matter of time. We’re aware that you live in D.C. We can have her moved to a local hospital so she can be closer to her family.”

“Th-thank you, Doctor.”

She sits on a bench right outside of her daughter’s room. Blondell wonders if her daughter will ever be brought back to her. But she also wonders will John Henry ever come back to them. She knows it wasn’t John’s fault, but does he know?

As Blondell contemplates this, inside Natasha’s room, her window opens.

“Hi, kid,” John Henry says as he comes in through the window. John places a single red rose on the motionless kid. “You saved my beacon, Nat. And I let you do it. This is my fault you’re here. My creation. My creation did this to you. Don’t worry, Nat. Your sacrifice won’t be in vain. Believe it, kid.” John leans down and kisses Nat’s forehead. “I’ll make myself something you can be proud of. That’s a promise.” And John Henry leaves through the window once again, knowing he’ll die before he breaks his promise.

Not the end.